Hey guys,
Ok so I haven’t actually “cheated” today but I’m starting to think this isn’t the “diet” for me. Let me be clear: I’m not trying to lose weight. I was doing this to see if I had any hidden food sensitivities/to promote an overall greater feeling of wellness.
Well, it’s been almost 2 weeks and I have felt like sh*t every single day, or at least for an hour everyday. My face is broken out and my blood sugar is all over the place. I’m constantly dizzy and feel like everything is cloudy in my head. Idk, maybe I’m allergic to almonds and coconut. All I know is that my number 1 Healthy Living Rule is Listen to Your Body. And right now mine is telling me it wants bread! Sprouted, delicious, wholesome bread! With some avocado smashed on top! And maybe even a poached egg.
So as you can see, I’m not going to stop being mindful of what I eat. If anything I’ll be even more mindful not only of what I eat but how it makes me feel.
I think I’d like to continue using this as my food diary. What do you think?

Sorry I didn’t really post what I are yesterday but I went back to eating allergen free.
Today I had coffee with coconut milk and stevia and black beans with roasted butternut squash for breakfast. It was surprisingly satisfying!
For lunch I had leftover coconut curry chicken that I had made for dinner Sunday (crazy delicious). It’s weird, I honestly feel like I’m eating a lot during the day but then when I write it out it’s really not much at all…which is probably why I’m always so hungry around 3. So today for snack I had some walnuts, and a kombucha. For dinner I made a piece of pork tenderloin and leftover risotto and then I had coconut milk “ice cream”. It wasn’t that great, think I’ll stick to my tea! Oh I also had half a banana w toasted coconut and walnuts on my way to dance!
Sorry for the late post, we watched American Hustle tonight. I loved it. Have you seen it? What did you think? Well, I’m off to stick a breathe right strip on the snoring bear next to me, night!

Happy St Patty’s Day! 🍀
Not gonna lie, I am so over this holiday, this weekend really did a number on me physically, emotionally, and spiritually (I briefly lost faith in humanity).
So let’s see, what happened exactly? Well, after working at the bar Friday for almost 7 hours I came back Saturday morning and worked another 14! I know I had expected to work 17 like last year but I didn’t get a break during my 14 hour shift and- around 9 pm my blood sugar crashed worse than anything I’ve ever experienced and I was a wreck. It didn’t help that all I consumed was sugar free red bull all day and at one point I seriously thought my heart was going to explode. Not good.
On top of all the physical trauma I only made $400. I realize that I should be grateful I made any money but seriously? $400 for 14 hours of backbreaking work? Never again.
Obviously I wasn’t able to stick to my elimination diet this weekend, I had SF Redbull, a shot (or two) of Jameson, a PB&J and a few pieces of pizza. Oh well, onward and upward!

On a more positive note, I did discover the perfect dish to cook if you’re upset.risotto
More specifically, roasted butternut squash risotto. Think about it. First, you can take your aggression out on the peeling and chopping of the squash, it’s a pretty violent task. Also, you need to dice up an onion and make that sonofabitch sweat. After you’ve gotten your aggression out its time to begin the seriously calming task of toasting the rice and adding broth to it cup by cup. Somewhere about halfway through you stop stewing and start spacing off, it’s kind of like meditation but at the end of this trance there’s a big ol heaping bowl of comforting goodness.

I used ghee instead of butter and nutritional yeast instead of parm to make this meal Elimination Diet friendly. Now my belly is full, my head is clear, and I’m totally relaxed. Namaste.

Well it’s finally here, March 15 or Parade Day as we call it in Springfield. Today is the big St Patty’s Day parade which means I’ll be bartending for about 20 hours today/night. No joke. I’ve stocked up on snacks like fresh veggies, spinach hummus, sprouted crackers and Larabars (duh) so now all there’s left to do is stretch and get after it! Wish me luck 🍀💚🍀

But hey I really am! Today I finally had one of those oh-so elusive moments of clarity and it was fantastic! I think a lot of it has to do with my sleep, I actually took an hour nap this morning and did a half hour of yoga when I woke up and it really got my mind right.

As for what I ate today…

Breakfast-Overnight Oats made with a banana, blueberries, coconut milk, chia seeds, walnuts and some toasted coconut from last night. Again, these kind of sucked but I ate them because I cannot function without breakfast.

Lunch-I had some strawberries and macadamia nuts. Weird “meal” I know but I had just woken up from my nap and wasn’t really all that hungry.

Dinner-Stir-fry. I used frozen mixed veggies, peas, zucchini, and pork tenderloin. I used coconut aminos for the first time and errrrmerrgerrrddd. so stinkin delicious! It really does taste a lot like soy sauce except it’s a little sweeter and a lot less salty which we happened to love. I served this over brown rice for a filling and easy meal that W and I ate while we watched Dallas Buyers Club (loved it! have you seen it?)

I feel like I’m coconut crazy today but I wanted to share with you guys my new favorite after dinner treat:

I make a cup of gingerbread tea (I got it on super sale after the holidays), add a packet of stevia and a little coconut milk (I use this one) and it’s seriously so satisfying and just plain decadent tasting I highly recommend you try it!

Side note: I like to put my coconut milk in the fridge, this allows all the creamy goodness to rise to the top which you can use as a replacement for whipped cream, use it in your coffee or tea, or it even makes a great moisturizer! No joke! It also leaves you with coconut water which is great in green smoothies :)

so cheesy 😊
Let's get right to it!
Breakfast, 1 large juice (kale, apple, carrot and ginger), some leftover Kombucha from the night before, coffee, almond milk, stevia, and a little vanilla extract and cinnamon (yummy).
After Barre Fitness this morning (I'm trying to squeeze in any extra workouts I can, I've been slacking lately) I came home and had a bowl of leftover chicken, veggie, and quinoa soup. I am the leftovers queen.
For snack @2:30-Apple Sammies with almond butter, a little flaxseed, and cinnamon. I also snacked on some radishes and had another small glass of green juice around 4. My blood sugar and general mental fogginess was a lot better today so yah!
Dinner-Brown rice, black bean and chicken bowls. Mine had shredded lettuce, homemade salsa, avocado and some nutritional yeast to make it taste "cheesy". So delicious and so super filling.
For an after dinner treat W had a slice of my moms banana bread it smelled heavenly but I was prepared. I sliced a banana earlier and rolled it in some walnuts and shredded coconut that I had toasted in the oven. I then froze my banana slices and voilà! A guilt and allergen free dessert!
Also, I had a glass of red wine and waaaay too many macadamia nuts while I was cooking dinner, just keeping myself honest!
Sweet dreams!

I seriously can’t believe Week 1 is already over! I am very proud to say that week one was a success without any cheats! (unless you count the teaspoon of honey I used to make salad dressing last night and tonight…I’m not.) I don’t know if it’s because I’m blogging each day and I feel accountable or if it’s because this isn’t a typical weight-loss diet plan where I can tell myself “oh eating one piece of this or just a bite of that isn’t going to blow the whole thing” in this case, it totally will and I’ll have to start from scratch. Plus I’m really enjoying the way this diet forces me to be totally aware of everything I eat or drink. Also, it has given me an opportunity to flex some creative muscle in the kitchen. Just this week I have; roasted a chicken in the crock pot, made chicken stock (in the crock pot), tested an almond flour banana bread recipe, cooked up a really delicious pork tenderloin with apples and quinoa, and for dinner tonight I made a baby kale, avocado, and blood orange salad along with some veggie and chicken soup. My crock pot has definitely gotten a workout this week! It’s currently cooking up some black beans I am hoping to use for dinner tomorrow night (I’m planning on making Chipotle-style brown rice bowls :)

So other than feeling fine overall I still haven’t experienced any amazing effects of this diet (ie increased mental clarity…in fact, I’ve been in a fog most of this week) but right now I feel like my focus is really good so maybe it will kick in this next week (fingers crossed!). I’m also going to try a little experiment tomorrow, I have been seriously worthless from 3PM-4PM everyday this past week. Like, up and trying to function (today I tried to cook about 4 different meals at once) but my brain feels like it’s floating behind a cloud of cotton balls…sorry I don’t know how to explain it. But it happens, no matter how much water or caffeine I drink or what I eat, everyday! So today I finally got myself together long enough to make a green juice and the fog suddenly lifted. However, it was probably a little over an hour after the fog had set in so maybe it was just the timing, or maybe it was something I snacked on before I made the juice and it just took a little time to help my blood sugar, only way to tell is to see if it happens again tomorrow and the day after that…so for the next few days I’ll be drinking a green juice at 3 every afternoon. If that doesn’t work I may have to resort to nap time…

Speaking of, it’s after 1am and I have to be up in 5 hours (I’m maxing out at 6 hours for longest night of sleep this week, WAH!) so I know I’m like a broken record but tomorrow, ill post what i ate, i promise.

night!

Edited to add:

What I ate Today:

For breakfast…honestly, I can’t remember having anything for breakfast. I woke up late and had to rush out the door, It’s very rare that I don’t eat anything for breakfast so I probably had something but I just can’t remember right now and it’s driving me crazy if you couldn’t tell.Anyway, I came home around 11 and had some chicken broth with veggies and quinoa (I made this for dinner too, it was super easy and really good! W loved it too!) I also have a tiny cup of coffee with almond milk and stevia and then I was out the door again for a few hours. When I got home around 3 I started to cook/clean/walk around the house like a zombie. I swear I ate more than what I’m remembering but maybe these foggy afternoons are just low blood sugar. I totally snack while I cook, today it was on sprouted raw almonds, a handful of raw cacao nibs (I was hoping they’d give me an energy boost, and a few bites of apples as I made Green Juice). I also had a baby kale, apple, carrot and ginger juice that was delicious and totally invigorating. For dinner, like I said above, I had a baby kale, avocado, and blood orange salad and more soup. Then I went to Barre Fitness class and after that I had to close the bar so I bought a Kombucha and a Banana Bread Larabar to snack on while I was there. When I came home around 1am I made a cup of chamomile tea and heated up some leftover pork tenderloin from the night before, not because I was necessarily hungry but because I knew that if I didn’t eat something before trying to sleep it was never gonna happen (this is also a pretty recent development but I CAN NOT sleep if I’m hungry…which is annoying). So yeah, I think that’s everything…I guess I better start writing things down as I eat them!

Just a quick post here, I am BEAT. Crazy long day of working/cooking/running around like a crazy trying to get ready for the week to come…it’s gonna be out. of. control.
I’ll try to keep you all updated as much as possible, I promise! Sometimes, trying to remember everything you ate is really tricky…which is why I am trying to keep myself accountable by blogging it!
Okay so breakfast was 2 pieces of “banana bread” and half a small Cafe Americano with homemade almond milk, a pack of stevia, and a pinch of cinnamon. Then I worked for 5 hours straight and my blood sugar said F-YOU Kalea for about 4 more hours….I came home and had a cup of homemade chicken broth, 2 strawberries, and some more things I can’t remember right now. I made salmon for my lunch tomorrow and quinoa with spinach and pork tenderloin with apples and sweet potatoes for dinner…W said it’s one of his Top 5 Fave Meals :)
Now he’s in bed snoring peacefully while I finish up a few things…hope you all had a very productive and wonderful Monday!:) Kalea

P.S. I would like to take a second and thank my wonderful mother for instilling in me the notion that dinner isn’t something that comes out of a bag or from a drive through. As I have gotten older and have experienced worlds beyond mine, I realize not everyone was lucky enough to have a sit down dinner and a well balanced meal every night and I am so grateful to the lady who made sure it happened every single night.

P.P.S. I am also grateful to the man who patiently waits in the other room while I say “5 more mins” on repeat for hours every night. W-thank you for giving me “creative freedom” in our kitchen, I love you!

Day 5 is already over, this week is flying by (anyone else notice that the older you get the faster time seems to move?) Anyway, today was a bit odd in that I went back and forth between feeling really great (like right now, I’m laying in bed but I have a ton of non-jittery just clear/focused energy) and really shitty (3 times today I was almost positive I was gonna puke…YUCK). I’m honestly hoping it was just a blood sugar issue and I’m not actually getting the flu, this next week/month/year is going to be insane and I need to be in tip top shape…so yeah, I should probably bang this post out and get as much sleep as possible!

Today’s Meals:

10AM-1/2 a small Cafe Americano (espresso + water) with homemade almond milk, a packet of stevia, and cinnamon (OMG SO flippin’ good!)

*How I made my almond milk: Put whole, raw almonds into a container, cover with filtered water overnight, drain and rinse and then cover again with water, blend in whatever device you want (I have a knock-off magic bullet that works fine), pour through a cheesecloth, rinse once and really squeeeeeze every last drop out! I promise you’ll never want to buy this stuff again.

11AM-Attempted (twice) to make a sweet potato and apple hash. The first one got super burnt and by the time the second one was ready I was over it and not even hungry anymore…I snacked on homemade flax snax and apple slices while I was cooking.

a little after noon my mom and I went to SAM’s for some groceries, I already posted a pic of what I got but it included some organic baby kale, spinach, big bags of apples and avocados, a pork tenderloin (that will be great with this mornings potato-apple hash), 2 free range whole chickens (one is currently in the crockpot becoming delicious stock), more almonds,strawberries, 2 containers of Meyer lemons (my fave), some EVOO and a bottle of Cabernet (you know, just in case).

After I cleaned the kitchen and prepped some ingredients for this week W and I decided to go for a walk to my parents house, my mom had made stew and I can’t even describe how good it smelled/how delicious it tasted. In general, I’m doing fine on this “diet” but I’m seriously sick of flax snax and being able to eat a recipe that’s so comforting to me, that didn’t require any modifications was just perfect. Actually, I have to take a sec and point out that while I would have normally eaten 2 bowls piled high with parmesan and at least 2 biscuits with butter and then left feeling way too full and miserable, it was easy for me to stop eating after one and I felt perfectly satisfied.

Now, just because I had willpower during dinner doesn’t mean I don’t get tempted…

After dinner, my mom offered Mr. W some of her incredible banana bread, she sent 1/2 a loaf home with him and it was all I could do to not tear into it as soon as he left the kitchen ;) but I buckled down, finished up some work and then I even tested out an Elimination Diet-Friendly banana bread recipe…it still needs a few texture kinks worked out before I share it with ya but it smelled delicious and it tasted pretty good too!

So now I’m in bed, hoping I’ll sleep better than last night and looking forward to the start of a new week!